


A Car With a Story

by juggieheadcoopers



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-30 04:16:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juggieheadcoopers/pseuds/juggieheadcoopers
Summary: Takes place in a world where Jughead really did move to Toledo and in the wake of his absence, Betty’s father has taken it upon himself to cheer her up by dragging her around town looking for parts to fix up cars together like old times. But when Betty becomes mesmerized by the old cars that her father shows her, she finds herself imagining what her life might have been like with Jughead if they were around when the cars were in their prime. With each car, and each fantasy, she starts to come to terms with why Jughead left - but will that be enough to mend her broken heart? Or will these make-believe scenarios just make her miss him even more?





	A Car With a Story

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you guys like this idea or not. It’s kind of out there I guess, but I got the idea from this book I read called The Secret Lives of Dresses that kind of had the same concept and I thought it might be kind of cool. But just let me know what you think. Each car/decade would have at least three chapters and then I’d move onto a new car and new scenario - each one helping Betty cope with the fact that Jughead is gone and understanding why he had to leave.

Betty Cooper shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, glancing around the peculiar front yard and taking in the various piles of trash with skeptical eyes, sure that the owner referred to these rusted pots and broken telephones as priceless treasures instead of useless junk.

“Dad?” Betty whispered, stepping cautiously over a broken microwave and dodging a beat-up toolbox that rested precariously on the edge of the sidewalk. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Betty, I have been coming here for nearly ten years,” her father reminded her, leading them around the corner of the rundown shack to head into the backyard, which Betty soon realized looked far worse than the front. “Where do you think I go to get all those parts for the cars we fix up?”

“I don’t know, a junkyard?” Betty guessed, her eyebrows drawing together in concern at the dead trees that lined the edge of the property and the ancient pieces of equipment that looked like they shouldn’t have been allowed to run anymore. “This looks like the set of an 80′s slasher film meets every summer camp that you never wanted to go to when you were a kid.” 

“Honestly, Betty, you have your mother’s colorful take on reality, and it’s more than I can take most days,” he told her, pushing a few cardboard boxes of gardening tools out of the way and continuing down the cluttered path to the very back of the yard. 

“Great,” Betty muttered sarcastically under her breath. “Can we get this over with? I have a lot of studying to catch up on and an article to finish for the Blue and Gold. Where’s this guy you said we were meeting?” 

“Richard’s around here somewhere,” he announced, glancing around the yard for his friend as if he was going to be able to find anyone amidst the vast amounts of clutter. “But I wanted to show you something first. Follow me.” 

“Uh, Dad, is it okay for us to be back here?” Betty wondered, nearly knocking her elbow on the surface of an unsteady machine. “This equipment is older than I am.” 

“Just don’t trip over anything,” her father warned, pointing past a large oak tree at the very corner of the yard near the creaky old fence that separated the property from a cemetery. “It’s right around this corner, come on.” 

Hal and Betty stepped around the tree, dodging a series of overgrown thistle bushes and weeds to find a 1952 series 62 convertible resting lazily by the fence, its front bumper hanging by a thread and the passenger’s side door completely ripped off its hinges and resting uncomfortably against the fence. 

“Here she is,” Hal announced, smiling dreamily at the car like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. “What do you think?”

“I think she’s been through a lot,” Betty observed, slowly circling the car, her hands grazing the busted mirrors and chipped paint with uncertainty. “The hood is torn up, the interior is falling apart, I’m too afraid to look underneath the hood to inspect the engine. But…”

“But?” Hal prompted her to continue, raising his eyebrows at her expectantly and patting the side of the car hopefully. 

“But,” Betty said, her lips curling into an amused smile as she ran her hand along door handle and leaned forward to inspect the red interior. “She’s beautiful and I think I’m in love.”

“I thought you might like it,” Hal beamed, scrambling forward to open the passenger’s side door and ushering for her to climb inside. “Go on, take a look.” 

Betty did as she was instructed, sliding onto the leather seating and running her hands up and down the steering wheel, breathing in the scent of old leather and built-up dust particles. 

“Cars like this have to have some good stories,” Betty muttered dreamily, turning to her father with bright eyes. “Imagine the people who have been in the driver’s seat, the places it could have traveled, the things it’s seen!” 

“Should I give you two a minute while I go find Richard?” Hal asked with an amused smile, looking down at his daughter with a look of satisfaction. 

“Don’t be weird, Dad,” Betty scoffed, adjusting her position on the bench and running her fingers along the buttons of the radio. “But yes, please.” 

With that, her father shut the door to the convertible and headed back through the maze of never-ending junk to the house. Betty smiled to herself as she let her hands fiddle with the fraying lining on the seat cover, her eyes dancing wildly as they drifted to the pair of fuzzy dice sitting at the bottom of the car’s floor and imagining that they once hung proudly over the mirror as the car sped down the highway going nowhere and everywhere all at once. 

“What’s your story?” Betty mumbled to herself, leaning back onto the seat and closing her eyes. 

As if answering her own question, just as her eyes shut and everything went dark in front of her, her mind drifted to images of the past - poodle skirts and cat-eye glasses with thick-rimmed frames and doo-wop music that made her head bob back and forth and her foot tap to the beat. 

_“Betty Cooper, you get over here right this instant!”_

_Betty’s head snapped up from the library book she was reading to find her best friend Veronica Lodge waving her over from across the quad with frantic hands, her raven hair shining wonderfully in the sunlight as it grazed her shoulders from the spastic movement of her arms._

_“I’ve been looking all over for you,” Veronica announced once Betty had made her way over to her, lowering herself onto the bench and looking over to meet her gaze with distant eyes. “I need you to tell me what you think of this skirt. Too much Doris, not enough Audrey?”_

_“Uh,” Betty mumbled, glancing at the plaid skirt without much interest. “It’s… swell, Ronnie. Real, swell.”_

_“Alright, you’ve been totally out of orbit lately. Where has that head of yours been these past few days?” Veronica wanted to know, crossing one leg over the other and leaning one elbow against the top of the bench._

_“Nowhere, I just,” Betty’s gaze drifted to the parking lot in front of them, her eyes scanning the various cars and classmates as if she was looking for something -or someone- that hadn’t come into her view yet. “I just have a lot on my mind is all.”_

_“Betty, that answer is just not acceptable, you’re going to have to-“_

_Veronica stopped short when she saw a group of football players making their way out of the school’s gymnasium and out onto the grassy area that made up the better half of the quad._

_“Betty, I could just die! Check out Archie Andrews’ new flat-top. Isn’t he just the most?” Veronica swooned, her eyes locked on the ginger-haired boy leading the pack as they headed straight for the two girls sitting on the bench. “He’s coming over here, Betty! How’s my hair?”_

_“Afternoon ladies,” Archie greeted them, pulling on the sides of his letterman jacket and flashing them a charming grin. “Jazzed for the big dance tonight?“_

_“Totally, Arch,” Veronica breathed, biting her bottom lip nervously as she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s gonna to be unreal.”_

_“What about you Betty?” Archie asked, his eyes focused intently on the golden-haired beauty fidgeting uncomfortably in front of him, her gaze drifting from the parking lot, to Archie, and back again. “Have you found anyone to take you yet?”_

_“Um,” Betty mumbled, her mind scrambling to come up with an excuse that made the slightest shred of sense. “Actually, I was planning on staying home tonight. I have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on and-”_

_“Betty’s been a total party pooper lately,” Veronica cut in, glancing up at Archie with bewitched eyes and a flirtatious smile. “I, on the other hand, am ready to throw on my best threads and dance the night away.”_

_“You sure I can’t convince you to hop into my souped up hot rod and cruise on over to this shindig for a few hours?” Archie tried his best attempt at persuasion, but Betty was unfazed as she stood from the bench and started making her way towards the parking lot and away from her friends’ confused expressions._

_“I really can’t I-” Betty started to say, but just as the words were spilling out, a black Cadillac convertible pulled up to the front of the school, nearly missing the curb as it peeled to a halt just as the tires met the concrete._

_“Look, it’s that greaser Jughead Jones,” Veronica mumbled quietly, the disgust in her voice dripping off every word as they made their way out of her mouth. “I hear he’s the baddest of the bad news.”_

_“I bet he’s not so tough,” Archie muttered, glaring at Jughead with disdain as he fiddled with the car stereo. “My money’s on him being a real candy ass.”_

_“He’s got a nice set of wheels though,” Betty pointed out, her eyes soaking in the beauty of the car, but then slowly making their way up to the boy stepping out the the driver’s seat and onto the sidewalk, the sunlight glinting off his slicked back hair in a way that drove Betty completely insane._

_“Oh please, I’m sure it’s a hunk of junk,” Archie scoffed, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket and turning his head away from the car._

_“I think it’s beautiful,” Betty mumbled, leaning forward to scoop up her books from the bench and heading straight for the curb where Jughead had nearly run into only moments ago. “I’ll catch you two later,”_

_“Betty, you can’t go over there!” Veronica gasped, jumping up form the bench and placing a hand over her heart. “What will people think?”_

_“They can think whatever they want,” Betty told her, taking a few steps backwards before turning around to face the car in question. “I’m just going to check out his ride.”_

_Betty sauntered over to where Jughead was inspecting one of his tires with furrowed brows, his black boot kicking at the rubber with its sole as he muttered something underneath his breath._

_“Nice lookin’ flip-top,” Betty told him, and Jughead stood from his crouched position so quickly that he nearly knocked his head against the side of the door. “Wanna fire up the engine so I can hear how she purrs?”_

_“You know about cars?” Jughead asked with raised eyebrows, the shock in his voice causing Betty to widen her eyes in mock-offense._

_“Maybe,” Betty shrugged, her arms crossing over her chest as she leaned against the hood of the car. “Is that so hard to believe?”_

_“Didn’t think a paper shaker like you would waste her time on such things,” Jughead admitted, pointing to the pompoms sticking out of her bag and sticking the rag he was using to shine the mirrors into his leather jacket. “Especially a queen bee like yourself.”_

_“Well clearly you don’t know me very well,” Betty spat, tossing her perfectly curled ponytail over her shoulder and smiling amusedly in his direction._

_“Clearly,” Jughead mumbled, watching her lean over the car door, propping up her elbows as she gestured impatiently to the key still resting in the ignition._

_“Well go on then,” Betty prompted, opening the door and ushering Jughead to sit in the driver’s seat. “Let’s hear it.”_

_Jughead did as he was told, sliding onto the bench and turning the key in the ignition in one swift motion. Betty’s ears perked up at the sound of the engine’s musical roar coming to life, turning to Jughead with a raised eyebrow as he glanced up for her approval._

_“Not bad,” Betty admitted, sounding much more impressed than he thought possible. “Not bad at all in fact. You fix this up yourself?”_

_“A man can’t trust anybody’s hands but his own when it comes to taking care of his wheels,” Jughead told her, flipping the key one last time and pulling it out of its slot in the ignition._

_“What about when it comes to other things?” Betty raised a flirtatious eyebrow in his direction, placing one hand on her hip and smiling down at him as he climbed back out of the vehicle._

_“Betty Cooper, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting,” Jughead blushed, shutting the car door and shoving his keys deep into his jean pockets. “But I think I like it.”_

_Betty turned away, one hand moving up to her lips to hide her smile as she grazed her fingers along the top of the rolled down windows._

_“So what do you do in a chariot like this one?” she wondered, sticking her hip out dramatically and narrowing her eyes at him. “Go cruisin’ for chicks?”_

_“Sometimes,” Jughead teased, leaning back onto the side of the car next to her. “And sometimes I just drive.”_

_“Drive where?”_

_“Anywhere,” Jughead told her. “And nowhere at all, I guess.”_

_Betty’s eyes widened at this answer. She had been stuck in one place her entire life and hadn’t thought about what it would be like to wander to different places, even if she never got very far._

_“Maybe you can take me along with you some time,” Betty suggested. “I’d like to visit nowhere. It sounds better than this sorry old town, that’s for sure.”_

_“Not sure that’s such a good idea,” Jughead admitted, glancing down at the pavement and kicking at a pile of rocks by the side of the curb._

_“And why not?”_

_“Not sure if you’ve noticed but I don’t exactly fit in with your crowd,” Jughead reminded her, gesturing toward their classmates passing by on their way to the parking lot, eyeing them up and down with curious expressions._

_“Since when do you care about what other people think, Jughead Jones?” Betty narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she took in his all-black ensemble and stack of obscure vinyl records in the backseat of his Cadillac._

_“I don’t,” Jughead shrugged. “But I kind of thought you did.”_

_“Like I said,” Betty muttered, reaching for the zipper of her cheer bag and zipping it up so that the pompoms were no longer visible. “You don’t know me as well as you thought.”_

_Jughead nodded as if he understood, but said nothing more as he watched her nervously twirl her ponytail around her finger, a habit that he had grown to find endearing over the past few minutes they had been talking._

_“You coming to the dance tonight?” Betty asked curiously, picking at a dirty spot on the hood of the car before glancing up to meet his eyes._

_“Not really my scene,” Jughead admitted, reaching up to run a hand through his grease-soaked hair._

_“Well I think you should make it your scene,” Betty suggested, quirking a flirtatious eyebrow in his direction as she stepped up onto the curb, already beginning to make her way back over to her friends sitting on the bench. “Might be worth it just this once, you know?”_

_“You’re going to be there?” Jughead called back to her, leaning over the car as he watched her back away from the curb._

_“Guess you’ll have to show up to find out,” Betty announced, her ponytail swinging behind her as she sauntered across the quad. “Later, Jughead Jones. Don’t go crashing that hot rod of yours before I get to ride in it. That’d sure be a waste.”_

“Betty?” A voice calling her name snapped her back to reality, and she lurched forward, nearly knocking her head against the steering wheel in alarm. 

“Betty!” Her father yelled, waving his hand in front of her face through the open car door and raising a curious eyebrow at her odd behavior. 

“Sorry, what?” 

“Are you ready to go?” Hal asked, holding out a paper bag full of car parts. “I got what we needed.” 

“Yeah,” Betty whispered, her mind still lingering with images of the world she had just created in her head. “Yes, let’s get out of here.”

As her father led them out of the cluttered backyard and back to the driveway, Betty felt an overwhelming aching in her chest that she felt every time she thought of the boy who had left town to be with his mother. Pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket, Betty stopped following her father to turn back to the car she had just slid out of and dialed a familiar number. 

“Hey, Juggie,” Betty said into the receiver, reaching into her pocket to feel the note he had left on her windowsill the night he skipped town, between her fingers. “I know you asked me not to get in touch with you, but I just wanted to tell you… Well I guess I just wanted you to know that I really didn’t understand why you left at first. I was confused and hurt and I didn’t know why you would choose to run away when things got hard instead of working though them with the people who cared about you the most. But I think I’m starting to understand now. Sometimes we have to wander away from what we’ve known all our lives in order to find who we really are. I believe that. And I believe that you’ll be back someday. I have to. Goodbye, Jughead.” 

Betty clicked off her phone and slid it back into her pocket. With one last glance at the Cadillac, she headed away from the clutter and towards her life without the boy she fallen in love with over the past few months, hoping with everything she had that fixing up these broken-down cars would somehow help heal her broken heart.


End file.
